Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.
Athlete of the Week: Brady Welburn, Wellesley High School senior
Sport: Sailing (crew/skipper)
When & how you got involved in this sport: I started sailing when I was five at Stone Horse Yacht Club.
What you love most about this sport: I love all the friends that I’ve made and have really enjoyed to the team’s atmosphere.
Pre-race ritual: I’m always drinking Vitamin water while sailing.
Top goal for this season: I really hope to win Mass Bay Leagues at CBI in Boston.
Thoughts so far about this year’s team: I’ve really liked being on this team. I’ve known a lot of people here for so long that this year, being our last year, is really special.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: We won the Sharon Invitational, which was awesome.
A funny or inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Fun fact: Zach Bender and I have been sailing at the same sailing club since we were five.
Interests outside of your sport: I really enjoy English class. I’m also a member of the school’s jazz choir, the Rice Street Singers.
What other sports you play, if any: I play tennis, but not at our school.
Athlete of the Week: Zach Bender, Wellesley High School senior
Sport: Sailing (Skipper)
When & how you got involved in this sport: From the age of about 3 my parents, who were a part of Stone Horse Yacht Club, got me on the water as much as they could and into sailing classes.
What you love most about this sport: What I love most about the sailing team is the community of it. I feel that we are very close as a team, having team dinners almost every week, making it always enjoyable. As far as the sport itself I just love how many variables there are in it, the conditions are never the same as the day before, it’s like a new experience every sail.
Pre-race ritual: Sometimes before an away race we will grab a speaker and play “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys
Top goal for this season: My main goals for this season are to place first in the Mass Bay League for team racing and leave the team better off than this year. I hope for next year’s team to be even better than this year’s, so I’ll do what I can to improve the team as I go.
Thoughts so far about this year’s team: I feel very good about this year’s team. I think that we are in a strong position in the league and everyone has been doing great in fleet and team racing. I’m very impressed with everyone’s performance. I also feel that this year’s team is a great group of fun people all just sharing a common interest, always a blast at practices.
An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: An accomplishment I’m especially proud of is winning the Fleet Race MBL Championship two years ago.
A funny or inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: A funny story of me on the team was losing a rudder in the lake during my freshman year. It was incredibly embarrassing for my first year on the sailing team and I have yet to live it down.
Interests outside of your sport: I’ve always been obsessed with anything engineering related so I’m a huge car guy. I do all of my own maintenance on my car and work on it in my free time.
